The Motif Of Singing In Milkman's Life

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The motif of singing is associated with Pilate throughout Milkman’s life. When he is born, she is singing about their ancestors. However, when Pilate dies, she asks Milkman to do the singing. This motif serves to show Milkman’s growth into an adult. Pilate’s song is a parallel to Milkman’s journey from adolescence to adulthood. As Ruth goes into labor, Pilate sings “O Sugarman done fly O Sugarman done gone”. Her singing is the first thing that introduces the idea of flying into Milkman’s life. For Milkman, flying is an amazing thing that does not seem accomplishable. He is infatuated with this idea and continuously tries to find out the secret of flying. Through the song Pilate sings, he finally is able to learn that his great-grandfather

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